An outhouse at Andies Prairie Sno-Park, along Highway 204 near Tollgate, isn’t easy to find amid the snowdrifts on April 1, 2023.

BAKER CITY — The year 2023 was the hottest in recorded history from a global standpoint, but Northeast Oregon, though warmer than average, fell well short of breaking any records.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced this week that the worldwide average temperature last year was 58.96 degrees. That topped the previous record of 58.66 degrees set in 2016.

The 2023 figure is 2.66 degrees above temperatures from 1850 to 1900, according to the agency.

Average annual temperature is calculated by compiling the high and low temperatures for each day of the year.

This comprehensive method takes into account both summer heat waves and winter cold snaps.

The temperature extremes in Northeast Oregon were relatively moderate during 2023.

The hottest periods didn’t approach the torrid stretches in 2021, when the temperature reached 117 degrees at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton, or in 2022, with a peak there of 111.

Winter wasn’t exceptionally frigid, either.

At the Baker City Airport, for instance, the temperature didn’t dip below zero during 2023 (the lowest was 1, on Jan. 30).

That’s unusual.

Temperature records at the Baker City Airport date to 1942, and during the eight decades, the temperature went below zero in 67 years.

The average annual temperature was above average in 2023 at three of four sites with records that date back decades — Baker City and Pendleton airports, and Meacham.

But the difference was relatively small at all three stations — 1.6 degrees above the long-term average at Pendleton, 1 degree at Baker City, and 0.2 degrees at Meacham.

The lone exception was John Day, where the average annual temperature in 2023 was 1.5 degrees below the long-term average.

One thing all four places had in common was precipitation — 2023 was drier than average at each.

The shortfall wasn’t excessive, though, ranging from 2.44 inches at John Day to 0.7 of an inch at Meacham.

Following is a brief summary of the seasons with some highlights.

Winter

Winter lingered longer than usual, and March was much colder than average at all four sites.

At John Day, the average temperature was the coldest on record, at 31.4 degrees, nine degrees below average.

The March average at Baker City was 32.3 degrees, six below average, five below average at Meacham and almost two below average at Pendleton.

Spring

The chilly temperatures continued into April, but the trend changed in May, which was warmer than average at all four places, including Pendleton, where the average was 63.1 degrees, nearly five degrees above average.

June was within a couple degrees of average across the region.

Summer

July and August were hotter than average, but the difference wasn’t large at any of the four stations.

The one exception was Meacham, where July’s average temperature was one-tenth of a degree below average.

The most noteworthy weather event during summer happened on Aug. 21, when the remnants of Hurricane Hilary brought record-setting rainfall to parts of the region.

Rainfall that day totaled 1.4 inches at the Baker City Airport, a record for the date.

Baker, Grant, Union and Wallowa counties bore the brunt of the storm. Rainfall during August was only slightly above average at Pendleton and Meacham.

Fall

The last three months of the year were wetter than average at Pendleton, Meacham and John Day, but drier than average at Baker City.

All three months were warmer than average at Baker City, Meacham and Pendleton. John Day was slightly cooler than average in October and November, but warmer than average in December.

It was the warmest December on record at Baker City, with an average temperature of 34.3 degrees, almost eight degrees above average.

Meacham

Climate Summary

Temperature

2023 average: 43.4

Long-term average: 43.2

(1948-76, 1999-2023)

Warmest:

46.7 (1958)

45.6 (2015)

45.4 (2021)

44.9 (2014)

44.8 (1953, 1961, 1967)

Coldest:

40.9 (2011)

41.0 (1955)

41.3 (1999, 2009)

41.5 (2000)

Highest 2023 temp: 97,

Aug. 15

Lowest 2023 temp: -16,

Jan. 30

Precipitation

2023: 33.6 inches

Average: 34.3 inches

Wettest 2023 day:

1.66 inches, Nov. 4

John Day

Climate

Summary

Temperature

2023 average: 47.2

Long-term average: 48.7 (1954-2023)

Warmest:

51.2 (2003)

50.8 (1992)

50.7 (1958)

50.5 (1998)

50.4 (2004)

Coldest:

45.3 (1985)

46.0 (2019)

46.3 (2012)

46.5 (2013)

46.9 (2022)

Highest 2023 temp: 99,

Aug. 16

Lowest 2023 temp: 0,

Jan. 30, 31

Precipitation

2023: 10.19 inches

Average: 12.63 inches

Wettest 2023 day:

0.8 inches, May 7

Eastern Oregon Regional Airport Climate Summary

Temperature

2023 average: 54.0

Long-term average: 52.4 (1928-2023)

Warmest:

55.9 (1934)

55.4 (1958)

55.1 (1967)

54.9 (1930)

54.7 (1974)

Coldest:

48.2 (1985)

49.4 (1993)

50.1 (1955)

50.2 (1978)

50.3 (1948)

Highest 2023 temp: 104,

Aug. 15, 16, 28

Lowest 2023 temp: 2,

Feb. 24, 25

Precipitation

2023: 10.31 inches

Average: 12.35

Wettest 2023 day:

0.7 inches, Nov. 4

Baker City Airport Climate Summary

Temperature

2023 average: 46.5

Long-term average: 45.5 (1942-2023)

Warmest:

48.3 (2020)

48.0 (2018)

47.7 (1973)

47.7 (1992)

47.6 (1998)

Coldest:

42.0 (1955)

42.8 (1985)

42.9 (1948)

43.1 (2008)

43.3 (1989)

Highest 2023 temp: 102, Aug. 15

Lowest 2023 temp: 1,

Jan. 30

Precipitation

2023: 8.67 inches

Average: 9.78

Wettest 2023 day:

1.4 inches, Aug. 21